No Sharks Near Montana: Shark Found Dead in Idaho Ruled a Hoax

Every year Discovery Channel makes a BIG DEAL about Shark Week. An entire week of nothing but big teeth and blood in the water. Every year I watch Shark Week, and every year I am thankful that I live so far away from shark-infested water. Granted we have wolves, mountain lions, deadly snakes, and grizzly bears to worry about. But at least I don't have to worry about sharks. That is until last week when the Idaho Fish and Game Department found a dead salmon shark on the banks of the Salmon River.

I immediately began to panic, thinking "If sharks can make it all the way up the Salmon River, what is stopping them from making it into Montana?" Clearly, I was overreacting as salmon sharks eat salmon, and they don't make it into Montana to spawn.

Well, as some people assumed, it turns out the dead shark found in Idaho was a hoax.

According to the Idaho Fish and Game's Joe DuPont

Seeing no sharks have been observed swimming up our fish ladders lately, and the only known shark that can live in freshwater is the Bull Shark, I think it is safe to assume that somebody dropped this on the shore for a good laugh. I certainly have laughed about it. This would have been a great April’s Fools Joke.

So, if you were one of those people who saw this fish on the shore or maybe somebody shared the photos with you, rest assured, we have no sharks swimming around in Idaho.

Phew! What a relief. Now I can get back to worrying about aliens and UFOs invading or the possibility of a full-blown nuclear war.